CarExpert Choice winner: Best Affordable Sports Car

The Ford Mustang has been named Australia’s best affordable sports car in the inaugural 2025 CarExpert Choice Awards.

Ford’s seventh-generation pony car beat out two very different finalists: the Mazda MX-5 roadster and Toyota GR86 coupe.

Available in both coupe and convertible forms, it’s larger, heavier and more expensive than those sports cars, but the recently redesigned Mustang is an utterly enthralling vehicle.

A big part of its appeal is the GT’s naturally aspirated V8 – available with a manual, no less! That’s a combination that’s becoming increasingly rare on our market.

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But the Mustang is more than just its engine. For starters, you can get it without the V8, with the base EcoBoost featuring an engaging and oft-overlooked turbocharged 2.3-litre four-cylinder petrol engine.

The American muscle car is the best-handling Mustang yet, while also proving comfortable for the daily commute – particularly with the optional MagneRide adaptive suspension.

Mustang purists may scoff at the redesigned interior, but it’s more modern and logically laid out than before. You can also still get the wind in your hair in the GT Convertible, allowing you to better take in that sonorous V8.

A sports car should make you feel good when you drive it, and the Mustang makes us feel pretty damn good.

2025 CarExpert Choice: Best Affordable Sports Car

• Winner – Ford Mustang
• Finalist – Mazda MX-5
• Finalist – Toyota GR86

To see all the CarExpert Choice winners, click here.

MORE: Explore the Ford Mustang showroom